H.O. Charles's Blog, page 12
November 20, 2012
Time is running out...
Not much longer left until the 5th December deadline for the Kindle Fire Competition! Get your entries in and get yourself in with a chance!
There really haven't been many entries yet, so the odds are looking pretty good :-)
There really haven't been many entries yet, so the odds are looking pretty good :-)
November 10, 2012
Goodreads book of 2012
I know, I know. I won't even get into the nominated page :-( But if you fancy giving Anomaly of Blaze some support, please visit Goodreads Book of The Year and vote for my book!
November 6, 2012
Working Hard on Book Four
It's coming along a bit faster now. I'm trying desperately hard to get this book out before Christmas. At the moment this looks possible, but I can't make any promises! Smashwords have streamlined their publishing process since Anomaly came out, so once the book's ready, it shouldn't take nearly as long to hit B&N/iTunes/Kobo/Sony as it did last time. Some book stores allow you to sign up for email alerts that let you know if an author has published a new book, so you can keep tabs on me that way too!
One reader has asked to hear more about Artemi's (or rather Kalad's) wolf. I have a feeling that will happen in the fifth book...
Hope all is well for everyone out there. For the US readers amongst you, I hope the coming election result isn't too traumatic!
One reader has asked to hear more about Artemi's (or rather Kalad's) wolf. I have a feeling that will happen in the fifth book...
Hope all is well for everyone out there. For the US readers amongst you, I hope the coming election result isn't too traumatic!
October 25, 2012
Win a Kindle Fire!
Hello everyone!
It's an obscure day at an obscure time of the year, so what better way celebrate than to offer a blazingly free, incendiary and HOT Kindle Fire(blade)?!
I'm giving away one of these 7" beauties to a lucky reader who writes a review of my FREE book, City of Blaze on either Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk.
Indeed.
I need some help with my publicity and getting my books known, so I've dug into my ailing bank account, forked out some cash (over £100!) and ordered a Kindle Fire for one lucky reader who lends me a hand. Not a real hand. I don't want that sort of stuff in the post, thanks.
To enter:
Simply download a copy of City of Blaze from Amazon (.com or .co.uk), have a read of it and write your review! Once done, fill in the form below.
A winner will be chosen at random from all entries (whether critical or fanatical) submitted by midnight GMT on 5th December 2012. Amazon and I are looking for honest reviews of my book, and whatever you think about it is important. How favourable or unfavourable your opinions are will not affect your chances.
This competition is open to readers everywhere, who are over 18 and who have access to a working postal system (I have to get the prize to you somehow!). Tell your friends, your family and your boss!
You may enter this competition only once, but for an extra chance to win, please 'like' my Facebook page and give The Fireblade Array a tweet. The tweet can be about anything to do with my books or web pages, but must include a link. I'll even accept entries that say I'm rubbish and I smell (as long as they are witty or based on evidence!). If you've already 'liked' me in the past, you can still enter.
Enter the competitionThis form will generate an email from your default email account or mail client.
Name:
Email:
Link to your Amazon review:
For an extra chance to win:
I have 'liked' H.O. Charles on Facebook
Link to your tweet:
Extra info; Ts & Cs
Don't worry if you want to read City of Blaze but don't yet have a Kindle, my digital book can be read on many devices - more information here.
Please note that Amazon normally requires account holders to have bought something (anything at all) through its website at some point in the past in order to post reviews on its sites.
Entrants must be over 18 years of age. My books contain adult themes, which may not be suitable for younger readers.
Only one entry per person. Multiple entries will be discarded. You may double your chances of winning by 'liking' H.O. Charles on Facebook and creating a 'tweet' containing a link to The Fireblade Array blog or books.
This competition encourages honest opinions. Defamatory or abusive posts (that are written without humour) will not be accepted!
This competition has received approval from Amazon.com, but is not run by Amazon or any of its subsidiaries.
All entries meeting the requirements stated on this page will be counted, and a winner will be chosen at random on 6th December 2012. The winner will be announced on this blog and my Facebook page. The winner will receive one Kindle Fire (7" LCD Display, Wi-Fi, 8GB) and it charges via USB, so is not limited to any specific country's power system.
No purchase is necessary for this competition.
Contacting me separately won't gain you any extra chances to win, but I always enjoy the conversation :-)
Good luck!
It's an obscure day at an obscure time of the year, so what better way celebrate than to offer a blazingly free, incendiary and HOT Kindle Fire(blade)?!
I'm giving away one of these 7" beauties to a lucky reader who writes a review of my FREE book, City of Blaze on either Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk.
Indeed.
I need some help with my publicity and getting my books known, so I've dug into my ailing bank account, forked out some cash (over £100!) and ordered a Kindle Fire for one lucky reader who lends me a hand. Not a real hand. I don't want that sort of stuff in the post, thanks.
To enter:
Simply download a copy of City of Blaze from Amazon (.com or .co.uk), have a read of it and write your review! Once done, fill in the form below.
A winner will be chosen at random from all entries (whether critical or fanatical) submitted by midnight GMT on 5th December 2012. Amazon and I are looking for honest reviews of my book, and whatever you think about it is important. How favourable or unfavourable your opinions are will not affect your chances.
This competition is open to readers everywhere, who are over 18 and who have access to a working postal system (I have to get the prize to you somehow!). Tell your friends, your family and your boss!
You may enter this competition only once, but for an extra chance to win, please 'like' my Facebook page and give The Fireblade Array a tweet. The tweet can be about anything to do with my books or web pages, but must include a link. I'll even accept entries that say I'm rubbish and I smell (as long as they are witty or based on evidence!). If you've already 'liked' me in the past, you can still enter.
Enter the competitionThis form will generate an email from your default email account or mail client.
Name:
Email:
Link to your Amazon review:
For an extra chance to win:
I have 'liked' H.O. Charles on Facebook
Link to your tweet:
Extra info; Ts & Cs
Don't worry if you want to read City of Blaze but don't yet have a Kindle, my digital book can be read on many devices - more information here.
Please note that Amazon normally requires account holders to have bought something (anything at all) through its website at some point in the past in order to post reviews on its sites.
Entrants must be over 18 years of age. My books contain adult themes, which may not be suitable for younger readers.
Only one entry per person. Multiple entries will be discarded. You may double your chances of winning by 'liking' H.O. Charles on Facebook and creating a 'tweet' containing a link to The Fireblade Array blog or books.
This competition encourages honest opinions. Defamatory or abusive posts (that are written without humour) will not be accepted!
This competition has received approval from Amazon.com, but is not run by Amazon or any of its subsidiaries.
All entries meeting the requirements stated on this page will be counted, and a winner will be chosen at random on 6th December 2012. The winner will be announced on this blog and my Facebook page. The winner will receive one Kindle Fire (7" LCD Display, Wi-Fi, 8GB) and it charges via USB, so is not limited to any specific country's power system.
No purchase is necessary for this competition.
Contacting me separately won't gain you any extra chances to win, but I always enjoy the conversation :-)
Good luck!
Competition coming...
I've been thinking of ways to stir up a little bit of publicity instead of bemoaning my slow sales. Yes, it's time to DO something! I've decided to run a competition, open to everyone, where readers can write a review on Amazon for the chance to win a prize.
Now, I have to be very careful about ending up with a pile of biased reviews and a place on the Amazon naughty step, so I wrote to Amazon and told them exactly what I was doing (complete with a copy of the wording I plan to use). I also asked them if reviewers would have to disclose that they had written the review as part of a competition entry. They responded thus:
Hurrah! Green light :D. Watch this space for the entry details, contact form and closing dates!
Now, I have to be very careful about ending up with a pile of biased reviews and a place on the Amazon naughty step, so I wrote to Amazon and told them exactly what I was doing (complete with a copy of the wording I plan to use). I also asked them if reviewers would have to disclose that they had written the review as part of a competition entry. They responded thus:
We received your idea of organizing a competition in order to increase the reviews for your books. This competition idea is in line with the Amazon terms and conditions. Therefore, you may proceed with the competition.
There are no restrictions on the content of the reviews.
Hurrah! Green light :D. Watch this space for the entry details, contact form and closing dates!
October 23, 2012
Hi all,HO here! A few things to update you all on...My Ph...
Hi all,
HO here! A few things to update you all on...
My PhD progresses with ever more force. This has been getting in the way of my writing until very recently (don't you like which way around that is!?) but I now have a short gap in which to focus on the book and nothing else. I'm nearly 40,000 words in, and now that the ideas are fully cemented in my brain, it's picking up the pace! I reckon I can get a first draft together by this time next month.
Not so good news. Sales have dropped lately. I don't know if all booksellers and publishers are experiencing this, or if it's just me, but Amazon is practically dead and B&N sales have dropped by half :( May be a seasonal glitch, may be the end of me! Time will tell.
I cannot help noticing that one of CoB's reviews has vanished from the US site - Amazon.com. There are only (or were) 4 reviews on there, so that loss has dropped my book down the rankings considerably. Not sure if the reviewer decided they didn't want their reviews on my books any more, so I'm a bit sad about that. I don't know if they bother reading this blog, but if they do, can they tell me what I diiiiid?
Thanks :)
HO here! A few things to update you all on...
My PhD progresses with ever more force. This has been getting in the way of my writing until very recently (don't you like which way around that is!?) but I now have a short gap in which to focus on the book and nothing else. I'm nearly 40,000 words in, and now that the ideas are fully cemented in my brain, it's picking up the pace! I reckon I can get a first draft together by this time next month.
Not so good news. Sales have dropped lately. I don't know if all booksellers and publishers are experiencing this, or if it's just me, but Amazon is practically dead and B&N sales have dropped by half :( May be a seasonal glitch, may be the end of me! Time will tell.
I cannot help noticing that one of CoB's reviews has vanished from the US site - Amazon.com. There are only (or were) 4 reviews on there, so that loss has dropped my book down the rankings considerably. Not sure if the reviewer decided they didn't want their reviews on my books any more, so I'm a bit sad about that. I don't know if they bother reading this blog, but if they do, can they tell me what I diiiiid?
Thanks :)
October 9, 2012
Still motoring on with book 4
To earn my crust, and maybe some peanut butter.
Incidentally, I found this on xkcd. I think it sums up the common approach to ratings pretty well:
Incidentally, I found this on xkcd. I think it sums up the common approach to ratings pretty well:
September 16, 2012
Just received two slightly negative reviews, on the same ...
Just received two slightly negative reviews, on the same date, that say pretty much the same thing. Seems a bit too much of a coincidence. Perhaps I've annoyed another author. Guess that's life in the self-pub world!
Anyway, I'm feeling a bit low so I'm heading out to catch some waves. No more writing for me today!
HOC
Anyway, I'm feeling a bit low so I'm heading out to catch some waves. No more writing for me today!
HOC
August 25, 2012
Ill-behaved authors
I've spoken about naughty authors before, but reading this article about Stephen Leather really chilled me. It seems that none of us are safe to criticise in case we have our identity stolen!
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/aug/05/nick-cohen-cheating-authors-journalists
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/aug/05/nick-cohen-cheating-authors-journalists
B3ta Newsletter
The very kind people at B3ta have featured me and my book in their newsletter this week! I can feel the trappings of fame already!
In other news, I have just discovered that Kobo are now featuring all of their books in UK online store, WHSmith. So you can now find H. O. Charles in there, too! Hurrah!
And, in other-other news, Barnes and Noble are planning to open up to the UK market next month. That's very exciting for me, as B&N has established some steady (if not ground-breaking... yet) sales for The Fireblade Array. Fingers crossed that a few more people pick it up there!
I'm still getting on with book 4. It has been slow-going, I admit, but the last few months have been (personally) tough. All sorts of things have happened in the family and with my own health. Plus, I'm about to run out of PhD funding, so I've had that to worry about recently. Sometimes the real world is great, sometimes it's rubbish!
In other news, I have just discovered that Kobo are now featuring all of their books in UK online store, WHSmith. So you can now find H. O. Charles in there, too! Hurrah!
And, in other-other news, Barnes and Noble are planning to open up to the UK market next month. That's very exciting for me, as B&N has established some steady (if not ground-breaking... yet) sales for The Fireblade Array. Fingers crossed that a few more people pick it up there!
I'm still getting on with book 4. It has been slow-going, I admit, but the last few months have been (personally) tough. All sorts of things have happened in the family and with my own health. Plus, I'm about to run out of PhD funding, so I've had that to worry about recently. Sometimes the real world is great, sometimes it's rubbish!
